THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR

Mr. White’s World History

Objectives

 After we finish this section, we should be able to:  Explain how the English Civil War limited the power of the English monarchy  Analyze English rights that were protected by the results of the English Civil War and their impact on the American Revolution

Prologue

 Queen Elizabeth of England produced no children, so the crown of England passed to James I, a Stuart (Scottish)  Parliament was the government body made up of representatives who advised the king or queen on how to run the country  James would struggle with Parliament to take more power

James of Scotland

 James asserted his authority over the government, and this led to conflict with Parliament  James believed in the principle of divine right – God made him king  He spent lavishly on his lifestyle, and ran up England’s expenses  Also ended a war with Spain that forced England to pay war reparations to Spain

James’ Religious Views

 The Puritans were Christians who disagreed with the Anglican church and wanted to purify it of its Catholic traditions and rituals  James, who was Anglican, responded to the Puritans by threatening them – many Puritans fled to North America and settled in the English colonies  James has a group of scholars write a new translation of the Bible – King James Version

Charles I

 After James, Charles I of England took over and behaved very badly  Marries a Catholic woman  Charles dissolved Parliament after they wouldn’t fund a war  Forced farmers to supply loans, or threw them in jail  He quartered troops in people’s homes and declared martial law in towns – military courts and rule

The Petition of Right

 When Charles was desperate and called Parliament again, they forced Charles to sign the Petition of Right  Charles couldn’t collect taxes or force loans  No imprisonment without cause  No quartering of troops  No martial law  Charles dissolved Parliament and ignored the Petition of Right, even after he signed it

Parliament’s Power

 Charles again recalled Parliament to fight a war against invading Scots  Parliament voiced its complaints  Charles dissolved them again  Charles, desperate for money, reconvened Parliament again  This new Parliament worked to decrease Charles’ power

Nineteen Propositions

 Charles was at the mercy of Parliament  More Puritans were serving on Parliament, and they opposed Charles  An opposition royalist group began to form to support Charles  When Parliament sent the “Nineteen Propositions” to Charles to increase their power, Charles uses troops to arrest the leaders

English Civil War

   A war began between those that supported Charles (Cavaliers) and those that supported Parliament (Roundheads) Oliver Cromwell led the Roundheads to victory in 1646, when the Royalists surrender Charles is put on trial and executed – this is shocking to just about everybody

The Commonwealth

 The new government was a commonwealth, an elected government  It crushed opposition from Royalists in Ireland and Scotland, and also Levellers, who supported the vote for all men  Cromwell dismissed Parliament and placed England under Puritan military rule  When Cromwell dies, his son can’t maintain power

Charles II

  Charles was known as the Merry Monarch because he strongly supported the arts, science, entertainment, etc.

Parliament settled England’s religious issues  The Church of England (Anglican) became the state religion  The Puritan clergy were removed from the churches

Constitutional Monarchy

 England became a constitutional monarchy  Power of the monarch was limited by the English constitution, which was based on certain official documents and other legal traditions  This limitation of the monarch made many other European monarchs (who ruled by divine right or were at least absolute monarchs) feel threatened

The Succession of James

 Charles was known as a philanderer and never produced any legitimate children by a married wife  After Charles died, his brother James took the throne  James attempted to re-establish the power of the monarchy and make it absolute again

James

 James wanted absolute power, and claimed the divine right of kings  He felt that as king he had the right to suspend or ignore laws, regardless of Parliament  When Parliament opposed James, he eventually fled the country in what was known as the Glorious Revolution

William and Mary

 Mary, who was Charles’ nephew, married William of Orange (Dutch Netherlands), and they ruled together as William and Mary  Swore to observe the rules of Parliament

Restriction of the Monarchy

  Under the rule of William and Mary, Parliament passed a Bill of Rights restricting the powers of the English monarchy    King couldn’t raise taxes, maintain an army, or suspend laws without parliament Parliament should have freedom of debate Individual rights should be guaranteed, such as the right to a jury trial, and freedom from cruel and unusual punishments Parliament had also previously passed a law preserving the right of habeas corpus – no one could be held without being accused of a crime